


If anything ever happened to you

by PhoenixAD



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: 9x04 theory, F/M, I don't actually believe this theory, Theory Fic, but here it is regardless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28595301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixAD/pseuds/PhoenixAD
Summary: Happy One Chicago Wednesday! We made it through hiatus! I am SO excited for 9x03 tonight, even if I know it's going to cause me pain with all the angst, but I can't stop thinking about 9x04, so here we are. I couldn't stop thinking about "Gallo is forced to make a surprise rescue to one of their own when the firehouse is called to the site of a construction explosion." and then the promo pictures that came out yesterday of Boden and Severide at the hospital, so... stayed up late and wrote this all in one sitting. I'm sure it's absolutely not what the episode is gonna be but I couldn't get the idea out of my head to focus on writing anything else.I don't think I could ever survive, if anything ever happened to you. How could I go on, tell me what would I do? Oh, I'd have to be strong, find a way to get through, if anything ever happened to youIf Anything Ever Happened To You- Bebe & Cece Winans
Relationships: Sylvie Brett & Matthew Casey, Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 23
Kudos: 108





	If anything ever happened to you

**Author's Note:**

> Happy One Chicago Wednesday! We made it through hiatus! I am SO excited for 9x03 tonight, even if I know it's going to cause me pain with all the angst, but I can't stop thinking about 9x04, so here we are. I couldn't stop thinking about "Gallo is forced to make a surprise rescue to one of their own when the firehouse is called to the site of a construction explosion." and then the promo pictures that came out yesterday of Boden and Severide at the hospital, so... stayed up late and wrote this all in one sitting. I'm sure it's absolutely not what the episode is gonna be but I couldn't get the idea out of my head to focus on writing anything else.
> 
> **I don't think I could ever survive, if anything ever happened to you. How could I go on, tell me what would I do? Oh, I'd have to be strong, find a way to get through, if anything ever happened to you**
> 
> _If Anything Ever Happened To You- Bebe & Cece Winans _

“Morning, Chief.” Sylvie greeted Boden as she walked past him in the bunk room. 

“Morning, Brett.”

Sylvie kept glanced in Matt’s quarters as she walked past it, stopping once she realized whoever was in his office was definitely not him; she took a few steps backwards, recognizing him as the Lieutenant from 40. They’d met at a call the shift before. 

“Lieutenant?” 

“Oh, hello.” He looked up with a smile. “Brett, right? P.I.C on 61?” 

“Yeah, that’s me.” Sylvie pulled the strap on her duffle up on her shoulder. “What... are you doing in Captain Casey’s office?”

“Chief Boden asked me to cover for the Captain this shift.” 

“Oh, okay.” Sylvie furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember if Matt had ever called out of a shift before. “Well, welcome to 51.” 

Sylvie dropped her bag on her bed and headed straight for Boden’s office, knocking on the open door. 

“Come in.” 

“Um, I was just wondering about the Captain.” Sylvie shoved her hands in her pockets. “Is Casey okay?” 

“As far as I’m aware.” Boden looked up from his papers. “He put in for furlough. I didn’t ask why.” 

“So he’ll be out for more than just today?” 

“A few shifts, yes.” Boden nodded. “I’ve got some calls to make, unless there’s anything else?” 

“No, thank you, Chief.” Sylvie walked out of his office, closing the door behind her with a sigh. 

It was strange that Matt would take furlough without mentioning anything to her; she knew that. Even with things being as awkward and tense as they had been, it seemed odd for him not to tell her. 

“Hey.” Sylvie found Stella in the locker room. “Casey took furlough?” 

“Uh, I found out when Chief mentioned it to Severide not even ten minutes ago.” Stella shrugged. “I have no clue.”

“He didn’t like... go out of town or anything?” Sylvie’s mind had already pictured him flying down to Puerto Rico to see Gabby. 

“No, he was definitely at the apartment this morning.” Stella chuckled. “Heard him in the shower at the crack of dawn.” 

Some part of her brain couldn’t stop thinking that it somehow had something to with them; was he avoiding her? Taking the time to figure out what he wanted?

Sylvie sighed; this was going to be a long shift, especially with her mind overthinking Matt’s absence.

* * *

Sylvie stared at her phone as she walked back into 51 after Ambo’s third call of the morning, debating texting Matt. 

“I saw you guys missed breakfast.” The Lieutenant stated. “Put some food in the fridge for you.” 

“Thank you, Lieutenant Andrews.” Sylvie still hadn’t taken her eyes off her phone, even as she followed her partner into the kitchen. 

“You realize he’s cute, and he likes you, right?” 

Sylvie looked up at Gianna in surprise. “What?”

“Lieutenant Andrews.” Gianna rolled her eyes. “He was watching you on that call the other day. He’s literally been watching you all morning.”

“I doubt that.” Not that she would have noticed; she knew she’d been distracted all day. Not distracted enough to interfere with her work, but enough so she wasn’t paying any attention to anybody at the house. 

“Okay.” Gianna chuckled. “Are you waiting for an important call or something?” 

“Yeah, something like that.” Sylvie mumbled. “I’ll be back.”

Sylvie was grateful to see the bunk room empty as she sat down, continuing to debate calling or texting Matt; she didn’t need any of her 51 family asking her why she was sitting staring at her phone. 

_ Hey, is everything okay?  _ Sylvie hesitated before hitting send, then sat her phone down on the bed, waiting for a response as she stared at it. 

Thankfully, for her sanity, it beeped within a minute. 

_ Yeah. _

It was a brief text, but the three little dots on her screen gave her hope he was going to elaborate, until they disappeared; Sylvie stared at her phone for another minute, hoping. 

Tossing her phone down with a sigh, Sylvie leaned her head back against the wall, barely resisting the urge to bang her head against the wall. 

“Everything alright?” 

Sylvie opened her eyes, glancing towards the doorway where Lieutenant Andrews was standing. “Yes, Lieutenant. I’m fine, thank you.” 

**Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Battalion Chief 25. Construction site explosion.**

* * *

“Brett, start triage protocol.” 

“Yes, Chief.” Sylvie turned to her partner. “Remember, focus on who you can help right now.”

“Got it.” Gianna nodded. 

Sylvie glanced towards the building; there didn’t seem to be a fire, but there was rubble everywhere; it was going to be a bad call. 

Sylvie focused on treating a victim that had made their way out of the building, despite having a piece of rebar in their leg, as more ambulances arrived. 

“Chief!” Gallo’s panicked shout made her look up. “Chief, the Captain’s truck! It’s parked on the side of the building!” 

Sylvie grabbed onto the stretcher for support as she felt the air leave her lungs in a gasp; the panicked shouts from everybody from 51 all seemed far away, muffled to her ears. 

“Brett?” Gianna grabbing her arm snapped her back to reality. “Are you okay?” 

No, she wasn’t okay. She would not be okay until she saw Matt alive and well with her own eyes. 

But Sylvie knew she didn’t have the option of not being okay; she was a professional, and there were people’s lives at stake. 

“I’m fine.” Sylvie went back to work, glancing up every few seconds, hoping to see some kind of sign of him. 

As the minutes ticked by, the knot in her stomach tightened to the point she wasn’t sure she wasn’t about to throw up. 

“Chief.” Gallo’s voice came over the radio. “I found him, he’s unconscious, but he’s breathing. I’m bringing him out.” 

“Brett!”

Sylvie blinked away her tears before looking to her Chief. “Yes, Chief?” 

“Hand that patient off to 91. You get Casey.” Boden stated. “Get him to Med and stay there. We’ve got enough ambulances here, I’ll take you out of service.” 

“Okay, Chief.” Sylvie took a few deep breaths to calm herself, which failed. “Got it.” 

Gallo and Ritter emerged from the building, carrying Matt and laying him on the stretcher. 

“I think the blast threw him backwards.” Gallo explained. “He’s bleeding from the back of his head.” 

“Casey.” Sylvie was trying to keep her voice level, keep the panic out of it. “Can you hear me, Matt?” 

“We need to get him to Med, now.” Gianna exclaimed. 

“You drive, I’m riding with him.” They hurried to load him into the back of 61. “Call Med, let them know we’re coming.” 

“We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Boden closed the door behind them. 

Lives always hung in the balance with her job, they all depended on her staying focused, Sylvie reminded herself, trying to stay calm as she worked. 

It just wasn’t usually the man she was in love with that she was trying to save. 

“Matt, I need you to  _ wake up _ .” 

* * *

The ambulance had barely come to a stop when the doors yanked open, doctors Marcel and Halstead waiting for them.

“Head injury from an explosion. The bleeding has stopped and his stats are stable.” Sylvie stated. “He hasn’t woken up.”

“We got him, Brett.” Halstead promised. 

Sylvie jumped off the back of the ambulance, prepared to follow them into the hospital. 

“Sorry, COVID protocols.” Marcel explained. “You can’t come in.”

Sylvie stopped in her tracks; she hadn’t even considered that. 

“I’ll see if I can pull some strings, Brett.” April hurried in after them. 

Sylvie covered her mouth, trying to mask the sob that wracked her body. 

“I’ll call Chief.” Gianna stepped away, giving her some space. 

She’d just been texting him; Sylvie pulled her phone out and stared at the one word response, remembering the way he’d started typing again and then stopped. 

It couldn’t have been over two minutes later that the bells had gone off; had the explosion been why he’d stopped typing? 

“Brett?” 

Sylvie looked up from her screen, wiping at her eyes as Choi approached her. “Dr. Choi.” 

“Technically, we’re not supposed to let anybody in.” He sighed. “But we’ll make an exception here, okay?”

Sylvie let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Just you, though. I can’t let all of 51 in.” 

“Okay. Thank you.” Sylvie nodded; at least if she was inside, she could keep everybody updated. “Mackey! They’re letting just me go in. Let Chief know I’ll keep them posted.” 

* * *

Sylvie was sitting in the hallway of Med.; the waiting room was closed because of COVID, and they couldn’t let her sit in the ER, which left her sitting on the floor, waiting while they ran tests on Matt.

“Do you want something to drink, Sylvie?” April asked as she walked past her. 

“I’m fine.” She wasn’t fine, but water wasn’t going to help. “Have you heard anything yet?” 

“No. I promise the moment I do, you’ll know.” April offered a reassuring smile. “He’s in the best hands possible.” 

“I know.” Sylvie exhaled. “Thank you.” 

Sylvie checked her phone again as April walked away; it’d been over an hour without an update. 

“Brett!” Sylvie looked up at Kelly’s voice as he and Boden approached her. “Any news?” 

“No, nothing.” Sylvie shook her head, wiping at her eyes again. “I thought they weren’t letting anybody else come in.” 

“I called in a favor with Goodwin.” Boden sighed. “Everybody else is outside.” 

Sylvie nodded, forcing herself up off the ground. It surprised her when Kelly engulfed her in a hug, but let herself sink into his arms. 

“He was texting me right before it happened.” Sylvie sniffled. 

“He’ll be fine, Sylvie. He’s been through worse.” 

Sylvie nodded against his chest before pulling away. “Do they know what happened at the scene? What caused it?” 

“OFI is there now, but it looked like a gas line explosion.” Kelly sighed. 

“Casey wouldn’t - he would’ve checked before he started working.” Sylvie could guarantee one thing about Matt, and that was that he was a careful man. “He...that doesn’t make sense.” 

“There was a guy down in the boiler room, we think he was checking it when it happened. Casey being on the second floor when it happened probably saved his life.” 

“Any fatalities?” 

“Not yet.” Boden sighed. “A few criticals.” 

“Here comes Halstead.” Kelly nodded towards Will. “Any update?” 

“He lost some blood from that head injury, but remarkably, there are no internal injuries.” Will stated. “He’s still out, but we’ve run just about every test in the book. We have no reason to believe he won’t be fine when he wakes up.”

Sylvie took her first easy breath in two hours. 

“Which should be when?” Boden asked. 

“I can’t say. It could be any time.”

“Can we see him?” Sylvie asked. 

“Like I said, he’s still out.” Will replied. “But I’ll take you to his room.”

Kelly and Boden were both asking Will questions as they walked down the hall, but Sylvie couldn’t focus on anything being said. 

“Alright, that’s his room.” Will pointed at the door. “I’ll be back to check in on him in a few minutes.” 

“I’ll update everybody outside.” Boden announced.

Boden walked away, and Kelly looked at Sylvie. 

“You should go in.” Kelly remarked. “You’re the one he’s going to want to see when he wakes up.” 

“I don’t know about that.” Sylvie whispered. 

“I do.” Kelly chuckled, giving her a push towards the door. “Go.” 

Sylvie nodded, opening the door; the monitors hooked up to him beeped steadily as she crossed the distance of the room and almost collapsed in the chair. 

“Matt.” Sylvie leaned over, grabbing his hand; she studied his features, tracing circles with her thumb across his hand. “Wake up, Matt. Come back to me.” 

* * *

Sylvie had pulled the chair over as close to the bed as she could, leaning over the bed as she kept his hand in hers. 

“Sylvie.” 

Sylvie gasped as her head jerked up; Matt’s eyes were on her as he tightened the grip on the hand she had in his. “Oh, thank god.” 

“I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

“There was an explosion at your construction site.” Sylvie sighed. “Do you remember?”

“Yeah.” Matt winced as he tried to sit up. “Is everybody else okay?” 

“As far as I’m aware there have been no fatalities.” She pulled one of her hands away to wipe at her eyes. “I really need you to stop almost dying. Twice in a week is a little too much.”

“I’ll do my best.” Matt sighed. 

Sylvie gave him a watery smile, pulling her other hand away. “I should let everybody know you’re awake and get your doctor.” 

“Don’t leave.” Matt’s voice was almost a plea. 

“I’m going to be right back.” Sylvie promised. “I’m not leaving.” 

Matt visible relaxed, leaning his head back against his pillow. “Okay.” 

Sylvie stepped out into the hallway to find Boden and Kelly. “He’s awake.”

“Thank god.” Kelly let out a sigh of relief. 

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I said.” Sylvie nodded. “I’ll update everybody if you two want to talk to him.” 

Kelly and Boden stood up, and Sylvie stepped down the hall and pulled her phone out, calling Stella on FaceTime. 

“Sylvie!” Stella answered right away. “Is he awake?” 

Sylvie nodded. “Yeah, he’s awake.” 

“Guys, he’s awake!” Stella shouted to the rest of 51 before looking back to her screen. “Are you okay, girl?” 

“I don’t know.” Sylvie sighed. “I’m an emotional train wreck, but yeah.” 

Stella smiled. “He’s okay, Sylvie.”

“I know.” Sylvie nodded. “Here, I’ll take my phone in there so everybody can say hello.” 

“Hey.” Matt smiled when she walked in. 

“Hey, everybody’s outside and wants to say hi.” Sylvie handed him her phone, sitting back down in the chair she had been occupying before he woke. 

“We’re going to go. I need to get the house back in service.” Boden stated. “Brett, stay. I already called in for a replacement for the rest of shift.” 

Sylvie nodded. “Thanks, Chief.” 

Kelly squeezed her shoulder as he walked by. “Glad you’re okay, man.”

“See you later.” Matt said, both to Boden and Kelly, and the group on the screen, ending the call to give her the phone back just as Will walked in to check on him. 

“Hey, how are you feeling?” 

* * *

Sylvie leaned back in her chair as Will did his examination, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets; Matt was distracted answering the doctor’s questions, so she studied his face. He had a few cuts, but the fact he was okay was a miracle; it could have been so much worse. 

“It seems like you got really lucky.” Will stated. “We’ll keep you for observation for the next twelve hours, but it seems you’re otherwise fine. Get some rest, Captain.” 

Matt nodded. “Thanks, Will.”

Sylvie watched the doctor leave, but as soon as the door closed behind Will, her eyes went back to Matt. “What happened?” 

“I don’t even know. They think a gas line.” Matt sighed. “All I know is one minute I’m texting you, the next I hear a loud noise and I’m being thrown back.”

“Why were you on a construction job instead of on shift?” 

“I thought a few days off would do some good, but it’s not like I’m great at sitting around.” Matt shrugged, then winced. 

“You were avoiding me.” Sylvie sighed. 

“No.” Matt insisted. “I wasn’t. Not really, I just thought that... I don’t know, maybe that the time would help me figure out what to say to you.” 

Sylvie shook her head. “I’d be happy if you actually said anything to me.”

“I tried, Sylvie.” Matt sighed. “I’m not the one that’s been pulling away.” 

“We’ve talked, but you haven’t made a thing clear.” Sylvie looked down at her watch as she fidgeted with the band. “I’ve been pulling away to give you the space to figure out what it is you want.”

“I’m not great at saying the right thing.” 

Sylvie sighed. “I don’t need you to say all the right things, Matt. I don’t need a speech, just honest answers. Things like _ I don’t know _ , and  _ it’s complicated _ , don’t help. I knew you didn’t regret the kiss, but that’s kind of not really helpful in figuring out what you want.” 

Matt reached over to grab her hand. “I want you.” 

“I know you do right now.” Sylvie forced herself to look at him. “But I’m not looking to be a placeholder.” 

“Do you think I would do that to you? That I’d risk our friendship for... a temporary thing? A placeholder.” Matt shook his head. “Jesus, Sylvie. You have no idea what you mean to me.” 

“How could I?” Sylvie sighed. “The closest you’ve gotten to telling me is saying that your feelings are real,  _ regardless of your ex-wife _ . How am I supposed to feel about that?” 

“I say the wrong thing, pretty much every time I open my mouth around you. I’ve... instantly regretted almost every word I’ve spoken to you since that night.” Matt admitted. “What I should have said was that my feelings for you are real, and whatever... residual feelings I have for her don’t matter. They don’t compare to what I feel about you.” 

Sylvie felt her heart rate pick up. “They... don’t?” 

“Not even close.” Matt smiled. “This isn’t my near death experience talking, either. I was getting ready to text you to ask you to meet me for drinks when it happened, to try for a  _ third _ time to get that across to you, but then... the explosion.” 

“I saw you were typing, then it stopped, and we got the call.” Sylvie sighed. “God, when Gallo shouted about your truck being there, I swear my heart stopped. You scared the hell out of me today.” 

Matt chuckled. “Sorry.” 

“Just try not to do it again any time soon.” Sylvie smiled. “I know your job is dangerous, but I have no idea what I’d do if I lost you, Matt.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed her hand as she stood up. “Where are you going?” 

“Nowhere.” Sylvie leaned over his bed, leaning down to press her lips against his in a gentle kiss. “Just wanted to do that.” 

“Feel free to do that any time you want.” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! And again, HAPPY ONE CHICAGO WEDNESDAY! I've got a few other fics I've been working on (before the idea for this took over and made me ignore them) so hopefully I'll have something else up by the end of week! That's the goal, anyways! 
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr (atiredfangirl) or on twitter (@chifirefangirl).


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